Urology Residency Program

About Us

The Cleveland Clinic Akron General Urology Residency Program is a five-year program with three major teaching institutions including Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Summa Health and Akron Children's Hospital. It is approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Two positions are offered annually to candidates through the AUA Match.

The first year of our residency program includes six months of rotations in general surgery and six months of general urology. The next four years are focused on developing surgical skills, urologic knowledge and autonomy. Year two builds endoscopic knowledge and skills with minor urologic cases. Year three focuses on more complex endoscopic cases and laparoscopic skills. Year four provides the opportunity to explore urologic subspecialties including pediatric urology (six months), FPMRS, Infertility/Andrology and Reconstruction. In year four, there is also a focus on robotic surgery both in Akron and in a satellite private practice setting. Year five, chief year, concentrates on major urologic cases, robotic surgery and areas of special interest. For all levels, there is an outpatient clinic experience is provided weekly.

Protected academic time is every Wednesday from 7 a.m. until noon, and includes weekly conferences, urology grand rounds, imaging conference and core curriculum. All residents attend monthly journal clubs. Other meetings included in the urology educational program are monthly M&M conferences and multi-disciplinary pediatric conferences with radiology and nephrology.

Active clinical research is encouraged. Financial support is provided to attend national, regional and local conferences. Completion of the program provides eligibility to sit for the American Board of Urology Qualifying Examination.

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Welcome

Thank you for your interest in the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Urology Residency Program. Our mission is clear – provide comprehensive, high-quality education in order to train residents to become skilled urologists who can provide exceptional patient care, contribute to the advancement of the field through research and innovation, and serve as leaders in their communities. You will graduate fully competent to start practice the next day or to enter a fellowship. Roughly, 50 percent of our residents move on to fellowship.

We have two adult hospitals, Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Summa Health System, as well as a freestanding pediatric hospital, Akron Children’s Hospital. All are dedicated to state-of-the-art care and medical education. An added benefit is that they are less than 10 minutes apart!

We have 20 adult faculty with all urologic subspecialties represented and 4 pediatric faculty committed to your education. The program focuses on providing residents with a strong foundation in urological principles and techniques through a combination of didactic education, hands-on clinical experience, and research opportunities. The program also emphasizes the importance of professionalism, communication, and teamwork in the delivery of patient care.

We truly feel that we have the best of all worlds – outstanding faculty with surgical and clinical volumes that will provide you with the competency to practice anywhere in the country. As a part of Cleveland Clinic, it provides residents with access to a large network of experienced physicians, cutting-edge technology, and diverse patient populations. All of this in a community that is easy to live in, low cost of living and an environment that is supportive and friendly.

Thank you for considering Cleveland Clinic Akron General. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Kimberly Sloan Stakleff, PhD, in the Department of Urology at 330.344.8286.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Sloan Stakleff, PhD
Program Coordinator
Cleveland Clinic Akron General Urology Residency Program
330.344.8286
StakleK@ccf.org

Neel V. Parekh, MD
Program Director
Cleveland Clinic Akron General Urology Residency Program

Clinical Rotations

PGY – 1 

• 6 months of General Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Summa Health includes:
• 1 month of Vascular Surgery.
• 1 month of Minimally Invasive Surgery.
• 1 month of Plastic Surgery.
• 1 month of Emergency General Surgery.
• 2 months of SICU.
• 6 months of General Urology at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Summa Health.

PGY – 2

• 1/2 month of Nephrology.
• 1 month of Pediatric Urology at Akron Children's Hospital.
• 10-1/2 months of General Urology at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Summa Health.

PGY – 3

• 12 months of General Urology at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Summa Health.

PGY – 4

• 6 months (3-month blocks) of Pediatric Urology at Akron Children's Hospital.
• 1 month Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery.
• 1 month Andrology and Infertility.
• 4 months Robotics and major cases at Akron General, Summa and a satellite facility.

PGY – 5

• 12 months (3-month blocks) of Chief Resident (with administrative responsibilities) at Cleveland Clinic Akron General and Summa Health.

Teaching Faculty

• Naveen Arora, MD.
• Dennis Bentley, MD.
• Hannah Bachtel, MD.
• Elizabeth Boes, DO.
• Todd F. Breaux, MD.
• Brian Canterbury, MD.
• Curtis Clark, MD.
• Joseph Dankoff, MD.
• Michael Gangel, MD, MBA.
• Lawrence Geller, MD.
• Douglas Green, MD.
• Fabrice Henry, MD.
• Joseph Spencer Keith, MD.
• Melinda Knight, MD.
• Eric Massanyi, MD.
• Daniel McMahon, MD.
• Joshua Nething, MD.
• Neel Parekh, MD.
• Daniel Ricchiuti, MD.
• Kevin Spear, MD.
• John D. Wegryn, MD.
• Hadley Wood, MD.

Application

Application requirements

We appreciate your interest in the Cleveland Clinic Akron General Urology Residency program and hope that we've provided you with the information you need to choose the right residency program. Akron General is able to offer an exceptional medical education experience because of our knowledgeable and hard-working staff. Cleveland Clinic Akron General is recognized regionally and within Ohio for its expertise and care. We maintain a standard of excellence that promises nothing but the best care for our patients and therefore, nothing but the best education for our medical students and residents.

• All urology applicants must apply for the AUA match program. Residency applications must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
• All interviews will be held virtually on the Thalamus platform.
• 2024 Application Deadline: September 25.
• 2024 Interview Dates: November 6, 8, 12 and 14.
• Interview times will be between 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on each date
• Expected Program Length: Five years.

Interested in rotating?

Akron General Medical Center uses VSLO, Visiting Student Learning Opportunity to process visiting student applications.

To apply for a urology rotation, please complete and send a VSLO application with your preferred dates to:

Department of Medical Education
Cleveland Clinic Akron General
1 Akron General Ave.
Akron, OH 44307

Current Residents

PGY – 1

Brittany Haas, DO

• Hometown: Saint Henry, OH.
• Undergraduate: Wright State University, Dayton OH.
• Medical: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA.

Andrew Johnson, MD

• Hometown: Fargo, ND.
• Graduate: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
• Undergraduate: Emory University, Atlanta, GA.
• Medical: Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL.

PGY – 2

Shivon Barwari, MD

• Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD.
• Undergraduate: South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD.
• Medical: University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, SD.

Giovanna Leone, MD

• Hometown: Aurora, OH.
• Undergraduate: Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH.
• Medical: NEOMED, Rootstown, OH.

John Whitaker, MD

• Hometown: Tupelo, MS.
• Undergraduate: Mississippi College, Clinton, MS.
• Graduate: University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS.
• Medical School: University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, MS.
• Preliminary General Surgery: Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Jackson, MS.

PGY – 3

 

Olivia Green, MD

• Hometown: Hudson, OH.
• Undergraduate: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
• Medical: NEOMED, Rootstown, OH.

 

Colleen Sholtes, MD

• Hometown: Louisville, KY.
• Undergraduate: Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, NC.
• Medical School: University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.

PGY – 4

 

Jamsheed Bahee, MD

• Hometown: Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
• Undergraduate: Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI.
• Medical: Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI.

Benjamin Petrinec, MD

• Hometown: Hudson, Ohio.
• Undergraduate: University of Akron, Akron, OH.
• Medical School: NEOMED, Rootstown, OH.

PGY – 5

Emily Stevens, MD

• Hometown: Alpena, Michigan.
• Undergraduate: University of Michigan.
• Medical School: Central Michigan University.

Andrew Turk, MD

• Hometown: Broadview Heights, Ohio.
• Undergraduate: The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio.
• Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio.

Alumni

2024 graduates

• Joseph Spencer Keith, MD – Summa Health, Akron, OH.
• Max Roehmholdt, MD – Western New York Urology Associates, Buffalo, NY.

2023 graduates

• Carter Mikesell, MD —Advanced Urological Robotic and Laparoscopic Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Cleveland, OH.
• Ethan Vargo, DO — Laparoscopic/Robotic Surgery and Endourology Fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO.

2022 graduates

• Fabrice Henry, MD — Stone Disease & Advanced Endourology Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Cleveland, OH.
• Aaron Yunker, MD — Lexington Medical Center, Columbia, SC.

2021 graduates

• Hannah Agard, MD — Pediatrics Fellowship at Baylor College, Houston, TX.
• Marwan Ali, MD — Andrology Fellowship at University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

2020 graduates

• David Drevna, MD — NEO Urology, Youngstown, OH.
• Daniel Kmetz, MD — First Urology, Louisville, KY.

2019 graduates

• Daniel Groves, MD — Capital Urological Associates, Okemos, MI.

Research & Innovation

Akron General offers surgical services for a wide range of needs, both inpatient and outpatient. Through research, advances in technology and improvement in techniques allow our surgeons to offer more types of treatments with increasing precision, less blood loss, less pain and a shorter recovery time.

For more information about resident research in Urology, please contact:

Neel Parekh, MD 
Urology Residency Program Director
330.344.8286

Estee George, PhD
Research Faculty
330.344.7681
GeorgeE4@ccf.org

• View selected Urology Publications